Drawing Escapements Version 1.4 DS
-
Upload
manh-cuong -
Category
Documents
-
view
921 -
download
290
description
Transcript of Drawing Escapements Version 1.4 DS
British Horological Institute
Version 1.4
Drawing Clock and
Watch Escapements Distance Learning Course
British Horological Institute
BRITISH HOROLOGICAL INSTITUTE
Upton Hall
Upton
Newark
Nottinghamshire
NG23 5TE
United Kingdom
First published in Great Britain
in 2011 by the British Horological Institute
Copyright © British Horological Institute 2011
Author:
David Poole, FBHI
This book is sold subject to the condition that the original purchaser will not copy,
circulate, lend, give or sell this book to anyone else without the written consent of the
publisher.
Founded in 1858, the British Horological Institute is the professional body for clock and
watch makers and repairers in the UK. It provides information, education, professional
standards and support to its members around the world.
Website: http://www.bhi.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: (+44) (0)1636 813795
Fax: (+44) (0)1636 812258
British Horological Institute C o n t e n t s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 1
Contents
1 The Examination ................................................................................................. 3
2 Recoil escapement, drawing the wheel and pallets ............................................ 5
3 Dead beat escapement, drawing the wheel and pallets ..................................... 9
4 Club toothed lever escapement, drawing the wheel and pallet action ............ 17
5 Club toothed lever escapement, drawing the roller and safety action ............. 31
6 Specimen Papers ............................................................................................... 47
7 Model answers .................................................................................................. 57
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 2 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute T h e E x a m i n a t i o n
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 3
Drawing escapements
1 The Examination
1.1 Introduction
The examination unit, ‘D6 : Drawing Clock / Watch Escapements’ is a mandatory
unit for the following qualifications:
Diploma in the Servicing and Repair of Clocks / Watches
Diploma in the Repair, Restoration and Conservation of Clocks / Watches
The examination for the unit comprises two parts:
1 There is a three hour invigilated drawing examination; a pictorial drawing
showing an escapement or part of an escapement is provided. You are
required to draw the required elevations using the appropriate geometrical
construction for the escapement. There are separate ‘clock’ and ‘watch’
examination papers.
During the examination, you may refer to the details of the geometric
constructions given in this booklet
The drawing may be produced manually (A2 paper) or using CAD. If CAD is
used, hard copy is required (A2 / A3 paper) and a CD with the file saved at the
end of each hour and the end of the examination.
2 You are also required to complete and submit a separate drawing for
assessment. The details for this drawing are determined by the Examinations
Board and circulated to candidates after the closing date for examination
entries. The requirements for this drawing may be generic to both ‘clocks’ and
‘watches’ or there may be separate ‘clock’ and ‘watch’ drawings.
This drawing is to be produced manually (A2 paper) or using CAD. If CAD is
used, hard copy is required (A4 / A3 paper). You are permitted to refer to the
geometric constructions given in this booklet.
1.2 Rationale
An understanding of the principles of orthographic projection used in technical
drawing enables the clock or watchmaker to make freehand sketches as well as
formal drawings. The ability to use the geometric constructions to design a recoil
escapement and a dead beat escapement is essential for the candidate to
successfully enter the units:
The Recoil Escapement, Design and Construction
The Dead Beat Escapement, Design and Construction
British Horological Institute T h e E x a m i n a t i o n
P a g e | 4 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
The club toothed lever escapement is the commonest escapement for watches and
platform escapements. The ability to draw the components using standard
constructions enhances the understanding of the working principles of the
escapement and assists the watchmaker in the diagnosis and correction of faults.
1.3 Assessment
Each of the drawings will be assessed by considering the following criteria:
1. Use of drawing conventions in accordance with current standards, BS 8888
2. Accuracy of the geometric construction used for the escapement drawing.
3. Accuracy of the detail for the components.
An overall mark will be awarded to include the drawing completed in the
examination and the drawing submitted separately:
Examination drawing – a maximum of 75% of the overall mark
Submitted drawing – a maximum of 25% of the overall mark
1.4 General information
For candidates who do not have previous experience of technical drawing and a
knowledge of the various conventions which are used for horological drawings it will
be helpful to refer to the Technical Drawing lessons in the Preliminary Grade
Distance Learning Course. There is also information available in the Helping Hand
articles, nos. 11 – 13 (Booklet 2) and on the Institute website – www.bhi.co.uk,
follow the link Education and scroll down to ‘Menu 1’, ‘Technical Drawing Checklists’.
Dotted lines have been used to denote construction lines throughout this booklet.
Candidates drawing manually are to use thin pencil lines when drawing the
construction lines. Candidates using CAD may use dotted lines with a fine ‘dash
scale’.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e R e c o i l E s c a p e m e n t
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 5
Drawing the Recoil Escapement
2 Recoil escapement, drawing the wheel and pallets
2.1 Introduction
The recoil escapement is the most common escapement for pendulum clocks; it is
sometimes necessary to draw the design for pallets and the escape wheel either to
make a replacement escapement or replacement pallets. It is straightforward to
construct because each pallet has only one working face. The geometrical
construction enables two points on the acting face of each pallet to be determined:
1. the point on the pallet face which arrests the escape wheel teeth – the
lock point.
2. the discharging corner of the pallet
The shape of the pallet face joining these points can vary from escapement to
escapement; for the earliest recoil escapements it was a flat surface, but in a
modern escapement it is generally convex. This tends to reduce the recoil during
the supplementary arc.
Before commencing to draw the escapement, it is necessary to know:
1. the diameter of the escape wheel
2. the number of teeth
3. the number of teeth to be embraced by the pallets. This will always be a
number of whole tooth spaces plus half a space, e.g. 6½, 7½, 8½. The
number of teeth embraced by the pallets can sometimes be expressed in
different ways which may give rise to confusion.
4. the escaping angle, or the arc through which the pallets must turn for a
tooth to escape. This is generally about 4⁰.
5. the allowance for drop, expressed as an angle drawn from the centre of
the escape wheel. 6. drop includes the thickness of the tooth tip, which in this case is ½⁰.
The escapement data should be inserted in a table on the finished drawing.
Example escapement design data
Recoil Escapement Design Data
Tip diameter of escape wheel 32.7 mm
Root diameter of escape wheel 26.5 mm
Number of teeth in escape wheel 36
Number of tooth spaces embraced by pallets 7½
Impulse angle of pallets (escaping angle) 4°
Allowance for drop (including ½° tooth tip thickness) 1°
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e R e c o i l E s c a p e m e n t
P a g e | 6 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
2.2 The geometrical construction
The stages to construct the design for the escape wheel and pallets will be
described. The rationale for the various steps is described to enable the student to
use the construction to design any recoil escapement. Use A2 drawing paper and a
scale 6 : 1; for CAD, a scale to fit the paper being used.
A series of instructions are provided to construct the recoil escapement; refer to
Figure 1.
1. Draw the line of centres, the tip circle and the root circle of the escape wheel;
letter the centre of the wheel O.
2. In this instance the escape wheel has 36 teeth; therefore each tooth and space
occupies an angle, measured from the wheel centre, of 360° ÷ 36 = 10°. The
pallets are required to embrace 7½ tooth spaces and thus the angle embraced by
the pallets is 7½ x 10° = 75°. The action of the escapement is to be symmetrical
about the line of centres and therefore half of this angle will be marked out at
each side of the centre line joining the axes of the escape wheel and pallets.
Draw the construction lines OA, OB at an angle of 37.5° on each side of the line
of centres of the escape wheel and pallets. Letter the points where these lines
cut the tip circle, A and B.
3. In this example, the axis of the pallets will lie at the point of intersection of the
tangents to the tip circle at points A and B.
Draw tangents at A and B to intersect at P, the axis of the pallets. Letter the axis
of the pallets P; the distance between centres is thus OP.
4. The action of the escape wheel takes place as the escape wheel turns through
half a tooth space. In this example, therefore, the escape wheel actually turns
5°; drop is 1° (including tooth tip thickness). Impulse will therefore be delivered
as the wheel turns through 5° - 1° = 4°. Half of this angle, 2°, must occur before
each of the lines, OA and OB and half afterwards.
Draw the lines OC and OD from the escape wheel centre at 2° on either side of
OA, and the lines OE and OF similarly on either side of OB. Letter the points C, D,
E, F.
5. The escape wheel is to turn clockwise. Assuming that a tooth has just dropped
on to the entrance pallet its leading edge will lie at C, the ‘drop point’ on the
entrance pallet.
The discharging corner of the exit pallet will lie at F. Since drop of 1° has
occurred, the leading edge of the tooth which has just escaped will be 1° after
the point F and the trailing edge ½° after the point F.
Draw the wheel teeth.
6. The pallets move through 4° during impulse; the discharging corner G, for the
entry pallet, will thus lie on an arc drawn using the centre P through the point D.
Draw a line through the point P at an angle of 4° to PA, measured anti-clockwise,
and then draw an arc with centre P, radius PD to intersect this line at G.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e R e c o i l E s c a p e m e n t
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 7
7. Similarly for the exit pallet, the drop point will lie on an arc drawn using centre P
through the point E.
Draw a line through the point P at an angle of 4° to PB, measured anti-clockwise,
and then draw an arc with centre P, radius PE to intersect this line at H.
8. Join the discharging corner with the drop point for each pallet with, in this
instance, an arc radius 12mm to give the impulse faces.
9. The remaining portion of the outline of the pallets can now be drawn. As the
pallet faces have been drawn with the wheel tooth on the drop point for the
entry pallet, the centre for drawing the curved lines which form the body of the
pallets is drawn from point R not the centre of the wheel O. The impulse angle is
4⁰, the centre, R, will therefore be on a line drawn through P, 2⁰ anticlockwise of
the centre line PO. An arc should be drawn using centre P and radius PO to
intersect this line at R. The decoration beyond the exit pallet gives a more
balanced appearance to the pallets.
Figure 1 - drawing the recoil escapement
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 8 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e D e a d B e a t E s c a p e m e n t
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 9
Drawing the dead beat escapement
3 Dead beat escapement, drawing the wheel and pallets
3.1 Introduction
There are a number of types of dead beat escapement; the following construction is
for the Graham dead beat escapement which is used in pendulum clocks such as
regulator clocks when a very high order of accuracy is required. It differs from the
recoil escapement in that each pallet has two separate acting faces, the locking or
resting face and the impulse face. There are finer working clearances for the dead
beat escapement than the recoil escapement.
In the front elevation of the Graham dead beat, the locking or resting face of each
pallet (sometimes called the dead face) is represented by a circular arc drawn from
the axis of the pallet arbor; the impulse face is shown by a straight line. The locking
faces are in fact parts of a cylinder concentric with the pallet arbor, and the impulse
faces are plane surfaces. The junction of the locking face and the impulse face is
known as the locking corner, and the point at which the tooth leaves the impulse
face is known as the discharging corner. The point on the locking face on to which
the tooth drops is called the drop point – Figure 2.
Figure 2 - Graham dead beat escapement
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e D e a d B e a t E s c a p e m e n t
P a g e | 1 0 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
Before commencing to draw the escapement, it is necessary to know:
1. the diameter of the escape wheel
2. root diameter of escape wheel
3. the number of teeth - a Graham dead beat escapement is often used for a
regulator clock indicating seconds on the dial; if this is the case, there will
be thirty teeth.
4. the number of teeth to be embraced by the pallets. As with the recoil
escapement, this will always be a number of whole tooth spaces plus half
a space, e.g. 7½, 8½. Some Graham dead beat escapements can embrace
10½ or even 14½ tooth spaces. The number of teeth embraced by the
pallets is sometimes expressed in different ways which may give rise to
confusion, e.g. 7½ teeth.
5. the escaping angle, or the arc through which the pallets must turn for a
tooth to escape. This is generally about 3⁰, comprising lock or rest plus
impulse.
6. the allowance for drop, expressed as an angle drawn from the centre of
the escape wheel. 7. drop includes the thickness of the tooth point, which in this case is ½⁰.
The escapement design data should be inserted in a table on the finished drawing.
Example escapement design data
Dead Beat Escapement Design Data
Tip diameter of escape wheel 48 mm
Root diameter of escape wheel 36 mm
Number of teeth in escape wheel 30
Undercut of leading edge of wheel tooth 6⁰
Included angle of wheel tooth 12⁰
Number of tooth spaces embraced by pallets 7½
Impulse angle of pallets (escaping angle) 3°
Allowance for drop (including ½° tooth tip thickness) 1°
Lock 1⁰
Impulse 2⁰
When drawing the escapement, the first stage is to determine the position of the
wheel teeth, the locking corner and the discharging corner of each pallet. When
these points have been constructed, the remaining details of the escapement
should be drawn.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e D e a d B e a t E s c a p e m e n t
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 1 1
3.2 The geometrical construction
The stages to construct the design for the escape wheel and pallets will be
described. The rationale for the various steps is described to enable the student to
use the construction to design any recoil escapement. Use A2 drawing paper and a
scale of 6 : 1; for CAD, a smaller scale will be required.
Figure 3 and Figure 4 show the overall construction for the wheel and the
construction of the entry pallet; Figure 5 and Figure 6 complete the exit pallet.
1. Draw the line of centres, the tip circle and the root circle of the escape wheel;
letter the centre of the wheel O.
2. In this instance the escape wheel has 30 teeth; therefore each tooth and space
occupies an angle, measured from the wheel centre, of 360° ÷ 30 = 12°. The
pallets are required to embrace 7½ tooth spaces and thus the angle embraced by
the pallets is 7½ x 12° = 90°. The action of the escapement is to be symmetrical
about the line of centres and therefore half of this angle will be marked out at
each side of the centre line joining the axes of the escape wheel and pallets.
Draw the construction lines OA, OB at an angle of 45° on each side of the line of
centres of the escape wheel and pallets. Letter the points where these lines cut
the tip circle, A and B.
3. In this example, the axis of the pallets will lie at the point of intersection of the
tangents to the tip circle at points A and B.
Draw tangents at A and B to intersect at P, the axis of the pallets. Letter the axis
of the pallets P; the distance between centres is thus OP.
4. The action of the escape wheel takes place as the escape wheel turns through
half a tooth space. In this example, therefore, the escape wheel actually turns
6°; drop is 1° (including tooth tip thickness). Impulse will therefore be delivered
as the wheel turns through 6° - 1° = 5°. Half of this angle, 2½°, must occur before
each of the lines, OA and OB and half afterwards.
Draw the lines OC and OD from the escape wheel centre at 2½° on either side of
OA, and the lines OE and OF similarly on either side of OB. Letter the points C, D,
E, F.
5. The escape wheel is to turn clockwise. Assuming that a tooth has just dropped
on to the entrance pallet its leading edge will lie at C, the ‘drop point’ on the
entrance pallet.
Draw the wheel teeth using the escapement design data.
6. The curved resting face for the dead beat escapement must be centred at the
pallet axis P and pass through the drop point C.
Draw an arc centre P, radius PC.
7. The angle of lock is 1⁰; the locking corner, G, must therefore lie along a line
drawn at an angle of 1⁰ anticlockwise to the line PC at the point where the line
intersects the curved resting face.
Draw a line through the point P at an angle of 1⁰ measured anticlockwise to the
line PC. Letter the point G where this line intersects the line representing the
curved resting face.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e D e a d B e a t E s c a p e m e n t
P a g e | 1 2 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
8. The pallets move through 2° during impulse; the discharging corner H, must
therefore lie on a line drawn 2⁰ anticlockwise from the line PG. To actually
define the discharging corner, we must recognise that it will lie on an arc
concentric to the resting face drawn through point D. The point where these lines
intersect is the discharging corner.
Draw a line through the point P at an angle of 2° to PG, measured anti-
clockwise; and then draw an arc with centre P, radius PD to intersect this line at
H.
9. The line GH represents the impulse face, the curved resting face and the curved
back to the entry pallet are now complete – Figure 3.
Figure 3 - drawing the entry pallet
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e D e a d B e a t E s c a p e m e n t
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 1 3
Figure 4 - detail showing construction of entry pallet
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e D e a d B e a t E s c a p e m e n t
P a g e | 1 4 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
10. Now that the entry pallet has been completed, we can give our attention to
finishing the exit pallet – Figure 5 and Figure 6.
The point F is the discharging corner for the exit pallet. The leading edge of the
tip of the adjacent escape wheel tooth is 1⁰ away from F and the trailing edge of
the tooth is ½⁰ away from F. Impulse takes place as the pallets move through 2⁰;
the locking corner, I, will therefore lie on a line 2⁰ anticlockwise from the line PF
drawn through the pallet axis, P. If it is recognised that the locking corner must
lie on the curved resting face for the exit pallet, the actual position will be the
point where the line PI intersects the curved line representing the resting face.
Draw a line through the point P at an angle of 2° to PF, measured anti-clockwise.
The point where this line intersects the line representing the curved resting face
is the locking corner, I.
11. The locking point, L, will be at the point where a line drawn through P, 1⁰
anticlockwise from the line PI, intersects the line representing the resting face.
Figure 5 - drawing the exit pallet
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e D e a d B e a t E s c a p e m e n t
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 1 5
The shape of the pallets
Now that the acting faces of the escapement have been determined, the outline can
be drawn and the drawing completed. The dimensions are given in Figure 7.
As with the recoil escapement, the pallets have been drawn with a tooth resting on
the drop point for the entry pallet. The escaping angle of the pallets is 3⁰, the pallet
arms should therefore be drawn rotated by 1½⁰ as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 6 - detail showing construction of exit pallet
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e D e a d B e a t E s c a p e m e n t
P a g e | 1 6 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
Figure 7 - dimensions for the escape wheel and pallets
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 1 7
Drawing the club toothed lever escapement – Part 1
4 Club toothed lever escapement, drawing the wheel
and pallet action
4.1 Introduction
The club tooth lever escapement is used in the greater majority of mechanical
watches produced today.
The design drawing will consist of two parts:
1. Part 1 – Wheel and pallet action - Section 4.
2. Part 2 – Roller and safety action – Section 5.
4.2 Escapement Design Data
Club Toothed Lever Escapement Design Data
Locking radius of escape wheel 4.10 mm
Root diameter of escape wheel 6.3 mm
Number of teeth in escape wheel 15
Number of teeth embraced by pallets 2½
Drop 1°
Escaping Arc 10⁰
Lock 1½⁰
Draw angle, entrance pallet 12⁰
Draw angle, exit pallet 13½⁰
Division of combined impulse plane Stone – 5 parts
Tooth – 3 parts
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
P a g e | 1 8 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
4.3 The Geometrical Construction
The escapement will be drawn when a tooth has just escaped from the exit pallet. It
will help to provide a reminder of the combined impulse action given by the pallet
jewel and the escape wheel tooth.
Beginning with the wheel locked on the exit pallet, the movement of the balance
causes the impulse pin to engage the notch in the lever and begin to rotate the lever
so that the exit pallet moves away from the position of total lock. As soon as the
heel of the wheel tooth passes the locking corner, impulse begins. The heel of the
tooth slides across the impulse face of the pallet jewel moving the jewel outwards.
The heel reaches the discharge corner of the pallet. The impulse given by the pallet
jewel is complete – Figure 8, a, b, c.
Impulse now continues as the sloping face on the tooth acts on the discharge corner
of the pallet – Figure 9, d, e. Finally the wheel tooth escapes - Figure 9, f.
While the escape wheel tooth is turning forward and providing impulse, it is
achieving useful work. When, however, the trailing edge of the tip of the tooth
reaches the discharge corner, the wheel will move forward freely, drop occurs.
During drop, no useful work is achieved.
The action of the escapement takes place in half the pitch of a wheel tooth (12⁰);
the rotation of the wheel through this angle is made up of motion which provides
impulse and drop.
Figure 8 - Club toothed lever escapement – impulse from the pallet jewel
Figure 9 - Club toothed lever escapement - impulse from the wheel tooth
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 1 9
1. The construction commences by drawing the vertical and horizontal centre
lines for the wheel intersecting at O, the centre of the escape wheel. The
centre of the pallet staff will lie on the vertical centre line.
2. The tooth of the club toothed lever escapement has a short impulse plane at
the end of each tooth. There are two diameters which are important when
drawing the escape wheel, the tip circle at which the discharge corners of the
teeth revolve and the locking circle at which the locking corners of the teeth
revolve.
We shall be drawing half of the escape wheel. Using centre O, draw the
locking circle, Ø 8.2 mm.
3. In this instance the escape wheel has 15 teeth; therefore each tooth and space
occupies an angle, measured from the wheel centre, of 360° ÷ 15 = 24°. The
pallets embrace 2½ teeth and thus the angle embraced by the pallets is 2½ x
24° = 60°. The action of the escapement is to be symmetrical about the line of
centres and therefore half of this angle will be marked out at each side of the
centre line joining the axes of the escape wheel and pallets.
Draw the construction lines OA, OB at an angle of 30° on each side of the line
of centres of the escape wheel and pallets. Letter the points where these lines
cut the locking circle, A and B and the end of the lines extended beyond the
locking radius R and T as shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10 - the action is symmetrical about the lines of centres
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
P a g e | 2 0 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
4. The axis of the pallets will normally lie at the point of intersection of the
tangents to the tip circle at points A and B.
Draw tangents at A and B to intersect at P, the axis of the pallets. Letter the
axis of the pallets P; the distance between centres is thus OP – Figure 11.
5. Continue to draw the wheel using the dimensions given in Figure 11.
6. For the club toothed lever escapement, during the action of an escape wheel
tooth on the impulse plane of a pallet stone, the following sequence of actions
takes place, (terminology - exit pallet and escape wheel tooth – Figure 12,
Figure 13:
a. After unlocking, the locking corner of the tooth pushes its way
along the impulse plane of the pallet jewel, imparting impulse to
the balance via the pallet lever and impulse jewel.
b. When the locking corner of the tooth reaches the discharge corner
of the pallet jewel, the action of the tooth and pallet jewel are
reversed. The escape wheel continues to provide impulse to the
balance via the pallets by the impulse plane of the tooth pushing
away the discharge corner of the pallet jewel.
c. This action continues until the discharge corner of the tooth
reaches the discharge corner of the pallet jewel. At this point,
drop occurs.
Figure 11 - drawing the wheel - stage 1
Figure 12 - the exit pallet
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 2 1
Impulse is thus provided from the impulse plane of the pallet jewel and also
from the impulse plane at the tip of the tooth – the tooth tip thickness. This is
in contrast to the action of the recoil escapement and the dead beat
escapement where the tooth tip thickness does not provide impulse. For the
club toothed lever escapement there is no equivalent to tooth tip thickness as
there is in any escapement using a pointed escape wheel.
The action of the club toothed lever escapement takes place in half of a tooth
pitch; impulse (useful action) and drop (action which does not provide
impulse). The escapement design data for this escapement gives 1⁰ drop; this
value would increase as the quality of the escapement decreases and greater
clearances are necessary. Drop can be from 2⁰ to 2½⁰.
In the escapement which we are drawing, half the tooth pitch of the wheel is:
As drop is specified as 1⁰, the impulse or useful motion will be provided as the
escape wheel turns through:
This useful motion of the escape wheel can be disposed in different ways
relative to the construction lines OA and OB – Figure 14:
a. If the action is symmetrically divided about the lines OA and OB, the
escapement is known as ‘circular pallets’.
b. When the action starts on OA and OB, it is known as ‘equidistant
locking’.
c. Any variation between these extremes is known as ‘mixed
escapement’.
We will be drawing an ‘equidistant locking’ escapement.
Figure 13 - an escape wheel tooth
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
P a g e | 2 2 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
For the equidistant escapement, draw a line from the centre of the escape
wheel, O, 11⁰ clockwise from OA and a line 11⁰ clockwise from OB. Letter the
points where these lines intersect the locking circle, C and D, respectively.
Impulse action of the escapement commences on the lines OA and OB; the
points C and D are the points where the impulse action ends.
Figure 14 - the impulse can be distributed in different ways
Figure 15 - Drawing the extent of the escapement action
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 2 3
7. To draw a club toothed lever escapement, we must commence at the position
of the wheel and pallets at the point where an outgoing tooth is about to
escape from the exit pallet.
The locking corner of the outgoing tooth must therefore lie at the point D
which is 11⁰ clockwise from OB, 11⁰ being the extent of engagement of the
wheel tooth with the pallet jewel - the impulse or useful action. The position of
the discharge corner has yet to be determined.
The locking corner of the exit pallet must have passed through the point at
which action commenced, B. It must therefore lie on a circular arc drawn from
the centre of the pallet staff, radius PB.
It must lie outside the locking circle of the escape wheel by:
escaping arc (10⁰) – lock (1½⁰) = 8½⁰.
Draw an arc using centre P and radius PB; draw a line through P, 8½⁰
anticlockwise of the line PB. The point of intersection of this line and the arc
defines the present position of the locking corner of the exit pallet. Letter this
point F – Figure 16.
8. The line FD is the combined impulse plane of the exit pallet jewel and the wheel
tooth at the moment of discharge; the discharge corner of the exit pallet jewel
and the discharge corner of the wheel tooth are coincident. If you refer back to
the sequence of actions for the wheel and pallets this is shown in Figure 9 (e).
An enlarged version is given in Figure 17. A careful examination of Figure 17
will show:
The pallet jewel impulse plane and the escape wheel tooth impulse
plane are in a straight line.
The pallet jewel impulse plane is longer that the escape wheel tooth
impulse plane. The proportion pallet jewel impulse plane to escape
wheel tooth impulse plane for this drawing is 5 : 3.
Figure 16 - the locking point of the exit pallet
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
P a g e | 2 4 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
Draw the line FD to show the combined impulse plane.
9. The actual proportion of the pallet jewel impulse plane to escape wheel tooth
impulse plane can vary but we shall use the ratio 5 : 3.
The combined impulse plane, FD, is to be divided into eight parts to determine
the length of the pallet jewel impulse plane and the wheel tooth impulse plane.
Divide the line FD into eight parts, any method may be used but the
geometrical construction is shown in Figure 18.
Five parts will form the pallet jewel impulse face and three parts the wheel
tooth impulse face. Letter the point where the impulse face of the jewel ends
and the impulse face of the wheel tooth starts H.
Figure 17 - the common impulse plane
Figure 18 - determining the extent of the pallet impulse face
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 2 5
10. The point H is the discharge corner of the wheel tooth and also indicates the
full diameter of the escape wheel.
Using centre O draw the tip circle of the wheel through point H.
11. Having determined the impulse plane of one tooth, the profile for each tooth
can be drawn.
The dimensions to enable the profile to be drawn are given in Figure 19. Use
geometrical constructions to ensure that curves and lines meet precisely.
If you are using CAD, one tooth can be drawn and then, with ‘radial copy’, the
remaining teeth can be created. If drawing manually, the angle between each
tooth is 24⁰; mark out successive angles of 24⁰ from OH on the tip circle to give
the discharge corners for each tooth. For each point thus marked, draw an arc
of radius the length of the tooth impulse face to cross the locking circle to give
the locking corner of each tooth. Joining the discharge corners to the locking
corners will produce the impulse faces. The profile can then be drawn for each
tooth.
12. If you have drawn the escape wheel teeth accurately, you will note that the
locking corner of the escape wheel tooth nearest to the entry pallet is 1⁰ away
from the line OA. The process of drawing the escapement commenced with the
point during the action of the escapement when an escape wheel tooth had
just completed impulse to the exit pallet; drop was just about to commence.
The 1⁰ clearance between the tooth nearest to the entry pallet and the line OA
represents the drop which is about to occur.
Figure 19 - drawing the tooth profile
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
P a g e | 2 6 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
13. The locking corner of the entry pallet can now be determined. It must lie inside
the locking circle of the escape wheel by an amount equal to the angle of lock
(specified as 1½⁰ in the escapement design data).
As the lever moves, the locking corner of the entry pallet must pass through the
point of commencement of the action of the escapement, A. It will therefore lie
on an arc drawn through A using centre P. As the drop is 1½⁰, the locking point
of the entry pallet must lie at a point on a line 1½⁰ anticlockwise of PA.
Using centre P, draw an arc which passes through point A. Draw a line from P,
1½⁰ anticlockwise of line PA. The point at which the line intersects the arc
through A is the locking corner of the entry pallet. Letter this point I.
14. The next stage is to determine the position of the discharge corner of the
entrance pallet. When the action of a tooth with the entrance pallet is about
to end, the locking corner of the tooth must lie at the point defining the end of
the action with the entrance pallet – point C. The first step is to draw the
position of the escape wheel tooth impulse plane at the position when impulse
is complete.
Draw the escape wheel tooth impulse plane so that the leading corner, the
locking corner, is at point C:
a. Using CAD, select locking face and, using the centre of rotation as
the centre of the escape wheel, O, rotate the locking face through
12⁰.
b. Drawing manually, with compasses set to the length of the
impulse plane of the escape wheel tooth; draw an arc using centre
C to intersect the escape wheel tip circle. Joining this point of
intersection with point C will give the impulse plane of the wheel
tooth at the end of its action.
Letter this point E. The impulse face of the escape wheel tooth, EC, is shown in
red - Figure 20
Figure 20 - drawing the entry pallet impulse face, stage 1
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 2 7
15. At this point in the action of the escapement, point E coincides with the
discharge corner of the entry pallet jewel.
The discharge corner of the entry pallet jewel moves in a circular arc drawn
from the centre of the pallet staff P. Its position will be anticlockwise of E by an
angle equal to the escaping arc for the escapement (escapement design data:
10⁰).
Draw an arc using centre P and radius PE. Draw a line from P, 10⁰
anticlockwise of PE (inside the wheel). The point at which this line intersects
the arc will define the position of the discharge corner of the exit pallet. Letter
this point M.
Draw a line to join the locking corner I to the discharge corner M – This is the
impulse plane of the entry pallet jewel. Coloured red in Figure 21.
16. The impulse plane for each of the pallet jewels has now been drawn; the next
step is to construct the draw angles. Draw will commence to operate at the
point when the escape wheel tooth drops onto the pallet jewel. The direction of
zero draw is represented for each pallet by a line at right angles to a line
joining the point where the escapement action commences to the pallet staff.
For our drawing, it will be at right angles to PA and PB. The lines for zero draw
are therefore AR and BT – Figure 22.
Figure 21 - drawing the entry pallet impulse face, stage 2
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
P a g e | 2 8 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
17. With reference to Figure 22, the direction of zero draw for the entry pallet is
AR. The escapement design data gave 12⁰ for the draw angle for the entry
pallet.
Draw a line from A, 12⁰ clockwise to the line AR to represent the angle of draw
for the entry pallet. This line passes through A rather than the locking corner
of the pallet jewel, I. Draw a line passing through I, parallel to the line
representing the angle of draw for the entry pallet – Figure 23.
18. For the exit pallet, there is an additional point to consider; the pallet frame has
to rotate through the escaping arc (10⁰) to be aligned in the position for
locking. If the present position of the exit pallet jewel is to be considered, the
locking face will be:
13½⁰ (draw, exit pallet) – 10⁰ (escaping arc) = 3½⁰ clockwise of BT
Draw a line from B, 3½⁰ clockwise to the line BT to represent the angle of draw
for the exit pallet. This line passes through B rather than the locking corner of
the pallet jewel, F. Draw a line passing through F, parallel to the line
representing the angle of draw for the exit pallet – Figure 23.
The pallet jewels are parallel and the second face of each pallet jewel can
therefore be drawn through the discharge corner, parallel to the locking face.
The entry pallet is 1.8 mm long from the discharge corner; the exit pallet is
1.9 mm long from the discharge corner. The pallets jewels can now be drawn;
the dimensions for the bevel are: 0.375 long x 0.03 wide.
Figure 22 - zero draw is shown by AR and BT
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 1
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 2 9
19. The dimensions for the pallet frame are given in Figure 24. The pallet frame
can now be drawn to complete the drawing of a club tooth escapement, wheel
and pallet action.
Figure 23 - drawing the entry and exit pallet jewels
Figure 24 - pallet dimensions
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 3 0 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 3 1
Drawing the club toothed lever escapement – Part 2
5 Club toothed lever escapement, drawing the roller and
safety action
1.5 Introduction
We have drawn the escape wheel and pallets for the club tooth lever escapement;
the notch and roller action will now be considered. This consists of two distinct
aspects:
1. The notch and impulse pin which enable energy to be transferred from
the escape wheel via the pallets and lever to the balance in order to
maintain the oscillation of the balance.
2. The safety action which ensures that the lever does not move across to
the wrong side of the impulse pin (overbanking) because of a shock
received to the watch during use.
1.6 The notch and roller action
In a watch with double roller safety action, the impulse pin is mounted on the large
roller or, in a watch with a single roller, on the table roller – Figure 25. The single
roller safety action is to be found on older watches. The impulse pin is normally
made of synthetic ruby or synthetic sapphire. In old English lever watches it was
frequently made of garnet. Many forms of impulse pins have been used, common
types being the oval, triangular and D-shaped pin. Today, the D-shaped pin is
generally used and normally consists of a circular pin with a flat ground on it so that
the thickness, measured from the flat, is two-thirds of the diameter of the pin. The
diameter of the impulse pin ranges from 0.6 mm in a very large pocket or deck
watches to 0.27mm in small wrist watches.
Figure 25 - The impulse roller and the safety roller
balance staffbalance arms
horns and notch
impulse roller
safety roller
guard pin
(tip resting in the crescent
in the safety roller)
impulse pin
(resting in the notch in
the end of the lever)
lever
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
P a g e | 3 2 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
The double roller safety action consists of a small secondary roller, known as the
small roller or safety roller, which acts in conjunction with the guard pin. The
purpose of the safety action is to prevent premature unlocking of the escapement,
which might happen if the watch received a shock when the impulse pin was clear
of the notch. Should such a shock occur, the guard pin will contact the edge of the
safety roller, which is highly polished, and thus prevent the lever from moving across
to the opposite banking or any intermediate position.
When the impulse pin is clear of the notch, a shock can cause the lever to move
until the guard pin touches the edge of the safety roller, this movement must be
considerably smaller than the total angle of locking - the angle of locking at drop
plus the angle representing the run to the banking. If the movement of the lever
was greater than the total angle of locking, the escape wheel would unlock. This
movement of the guard pin is called the guard pin clearance and is normally
expressed as an angle measured from the pallet staff. The angular movement of
guard pin is the same as the movement of the lever; in this instance it is 1⁰. The
length of the guard pin should ensure that, when the lever has turned 1⁰, the tip of
the guard pin just comes into contact with the edge of the safety roller. The
clearance between the tip of the guard pin and the safety roller is called the guard
pin shake – Figure 26.
Part of the circumference of the safety roller must be cut away to allow the guard
pin to pass from one side to the other when the impulse pin engages in the notch
and brings the lever towards the centre line of the escapement. This cut-away is
called the passing crescent or passing hollow.
The diameter of the safety roller varies; the smaller the diameter, the deeper will be
the intersection of the guard pin with the passing crescent. There will also be less
friction should the guard pin touch the safety roller. The length of the horns,
however, must increase as the radius of the safety roller becomes smaller; in
practice the safety roller is generally made with a radius equal to approximately 0.6
of the radius to the centre of the impulse pin.
The diameter of the large roller is not part of the geometry of the notch and roller
action. It should be sufficiently large to allow the D-shaped hole for the impulse pin
to be punched without distortion of the metal on the outside. In this case, the
diameter of the large roller is twice that of the safety roller.
Figure 26 - guard pin shake
guard pin shake
guard pin
safety rollerpassing
crescent
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 3 3
The guard pin and safety roller do not provide safety action when the guard pin
enters the passing hollow. The secondary safety action to prevent the lever
overbanking is achieved by the horns on either side of the notch. These horns are in
the same plane as the notch and will therefore intercept the impulse pin and guide
it into the notch – Figure 25.
Sometimes, with high quality watches, the face of the D-shaped impulse pin is
convex; the radius is concentric with the axis of the balance staff. The corners of the
D should be slightly relieved so that the flat face and curved body are joined by and
arc of small radius. If the safety action comes into operation following a shock
between the ending of the safety action provided by the guard pin and safety roller
and the entry of the impulse pin into the notch, the friction between the guard pin
and the horn will be less if a rounded and polished surface is presented to the
surface of the horn instead of a sharp corner.
5.1 Drawing the notch and impulse pin
We shall explain the geometrical construction used to draw the notch and impulse
pin using the following escapement design data:
Centre distance from pallet staff to balance staff – 6.5 mm
Escaping arc – 10⁰
Lock at drop – 1½⁰
Run to the banking – ½⁰
Engaging arc of the balance – 34⁰
Guard pin clearance – 1⁰
Dimensions of impulse pin – diameter 0.6 mm, thickness 0.4 mm
It will be assumed that the balance with the rollers is rotating in an anti clockwise
direction and the impulse pin has entered the notch and is about to move the lever
from its banking pin. The scale 50 : 1 will be used for the drawing. The stages to be
followed for the drawing are numbered and will refer to drawings showing the
construction at various stages; where necessary, an explanation will clarify features
of the construction.
To draw the notch and impulse pin, the following need to be determined
Centre of the impulse pin
Flanks of the notch of the lever
Junction of notch with horns
Path traced by the impulse pin
Bottom of the notch
Radius of the safety roller
1. Draw the centre line between the pallet staff and the balance staff with its
rollers – Figure 27.
2. Letter the centre of the pallet staff ‘P’ and the centre of the balance staff ‘S’ at a
distance of 6.5 mm apart – Figure 27.
For normal operation of the lever escapement, the notch and roller action will
commence with the lever resting against one or other of the banking pins.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
P a g e | 3 4 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
Using the escapement design data, the centre line of the lever will be positioned to
one side of the line PS which joins the balance staff and the pallet staff. The angle
between the centre line of the lever and the line PS will be half the escaping arc
(escaping arc = 10⁰, escaping arc X 0.5 = 5⁰) plus the allowance for run to the
banking (½⁰) – a total of 5½⁰. The run to the banking is necessary because of the
small errors in concentricity and division which will be present in any escape wheel.
It is therefore necessary for the lever to move slightly further on some teeth than
others to ensure every tooth can escape.
The position of the centre of the impulse pin can be determined from the
escapement design data. The escaping arc is 10⁰; the allowance for the run to the
banking is ½⁰ on each side, thus giving a total angular travel for the lever of 11⁰.
Since the action is symmetrical about the line of centres joining the balance staff and
the pallet staff, half this total angle, or 5½⁰, will lie on either side of the line PS
drawn from the centre of the pallet staff, P, at the instant the impulse pin picks up
the notch of the lever.
The engaging arc of the balance is 34⁰, half this angle, or 17⁰ of the action, will take
place on either side of the centre line PS. At the instant when the actions
commences, the impulse pin must lie on a line at 17⁰ from the centre line PS, drawn
from the centre of the balance staff, S.
3. Draw a line from P at an angle of 5½⁰ anti-clockwise of PS (to the left of the
centre line PS) to represent the centre line of the lever at the instant of the
commencement of the action – Figure 27.
4. Draw another line from S at an angle of 17⁰ to the left of the centre line, and
towards the bottom of the paper – Figure 27.
5. Letter the point of intersection of these two lines, one from the pallet staff and
the other from the balance staff, ‘A’ – Figure 27.
The point A defines the centre of the impulse pin at the instant the action
commences.
6. Using the centre of the balance staff, draw an arc through point A to define the
path of the centre of the impulse pin – Figure 27.
7. Now draw in the impulse pin, using the escapement design data; the flat must
lie at right-angles to the line SA. The rounded corners have been drawn with
radius 0.06 mm – Figure 27.
8. Having found the radius at which the centre of the impulse pin revolves, draw a
circle with radius 0.6 of SA to define the circumference of the safety roller –
Figure 27.
9. Draw another circle with radius twice that of the safety roller to represent the
circumference of the large roller – Figure 27.
10. Draw lines on each side of the centre line of the lever, parallel to and 0.3 mm
(half the diameter of the impulse pin) away from the centre line of the lever.
These lines define the flanks of the notch – Figure 27.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 3 5
NOTCH AND HORNS
The point of junction between the flank of the notch and the horn of the lever is
determined by considering the freedom of entry of the impulse pin into the notch.
Figure 27 - notch and roller, stages 1- 10
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
P a g e | 3 6 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
This can be defined by drawing the lever in a position having revolved about the
pallet staff through ½⁰ in a clockwise direction. The value of ½⁰ is arbitrary and
would be approximately the value used in good quality escapements. In this rotated
position, the junction between the notch and the horn is the point at which the flank
of the notch would just touch the impulse pin. If the impulse pin is of D-shape, with
its thickness equal to two-thirds of its diameter, it will be found that the line defining
the flank of the notch will be approximately tangential to the trailing edge of the
impulse pin.
11. Draw a line from P at an angle of ½⁰ clockwise of PA, nearer to the centre line, to
represent the centre line of the lever when advanced ½⁰ – Figure 28.
12. Draw faint lines to represent the flanks of the notch, with the lever in this
advanced position (dashed blue lines in the drawing) – Figure 28.
13. The point where the flank of the notch in this position just touches the impulse
pin defines the junction of the flank of the notch with the horn – Figure 28.
14. This position can be transferred to the notch in its actual position by drawing an
arc using centre P through the contact point just defined. The junction between
the flank of the notch and the horn of the lever is the point where this arc
intersects the flank of the notch. Letter this point ‘J’. As the fork and roller
action must be symmetrical on both sides of the centre line of the escapement,
both flanks of the notch must be of the same length. The point at which this arc
intersects the opposite flank of the notch defines the point of junction of that
flank of the notch with its horn – Figure 28.
The path of the impulse pin and the bottom of the notch
The depth of the notch is relatively unimportant, provided that it clears the
impulse pin at its deepest point. This condition will occur on the line of centres;
the clearance should be between 0.1mm and 0.2mm.
15. Draw an arc from S with radius equal to the extremity of the impulse pin (from S
to either the leading or trailing edge of the flat of the pin). This arc defines the
path traced by the extremities of the impulse pin. Letter the point of intersection
with the centre line ‘H’ – Figure 28.
16. Add 0.1 mm linear clearance on the centre line from H and letter this point ‘N’ –
Figure 28.
17. Draw an arc from P with radius the distance PN to define the position of the
bottom of the notch – Figure 28.
18. Draw a line at right angles to the centre line of the lever through the point of
intersection with the arc defining the bottom of the notch – Figure 28.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 3 7
Figure 28 - notch and roller, stages 11 – 18, enlarged detail given in Figure 29
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
P a g e | 3 8 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
Figure 29 - drawing the notch, enlarged detail
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 3 9
5.2 The safety action – drawing the guard pin
The points that have to be determined in the safety action are:
tip of the guard pin
point of commencement of the minimum passing hollow
depth of the minimum passing hollow
The guard pin will normally be kept out of contact with the safety roller by the
action of the draw. The lever will, therefore, normally be lying against one or other
of the banking pins during the supplementary arc of the balance. The tip of the
guard pin lies on the centre line of the lever at such a distance from the pallet staff
that rotation of the lever through the angle of guard pin clearance in a clockwise
direction will bring it on to the circumference of the safety roller. In this case the
guard pin clearance is 1⁰.
1. Draw a line from P at an angle of 1⁰ clockwise to the line PA; extend this line
until it cuts the arc denoting the diameter of the small roller. Letter this point F –
Figure 30.
This gives the length of the guard pin at the point where it touches the small
roller. It is known as the guard pin intersection.
2. Using centre P, the axis of the pallet staff, draw an arc through F. The point
where this arc cuts the centre line of the pallets is the tip of the guard pin when
the lever is against the left banking pin. Letter this point R – Figure 30.
3. Draw the guard pin using the dimensions in the detail drawing – Figure 30.
The centre lines have been ‘broken’ in Figure 30 to enable a larger scale to be used.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
P a g e | 4 0 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
Figure 30 - drawing the guard pin
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 4 1
5.3 The geometry of the passing hollow
Having drawn the guard pin, we must determine the minimum size of a passing
hollow (passing crescent) which will allow the guard pin to pass. The hollow will be
drawn using a circular form; this will be sufficiently accurate for the drawing.
Assume that the impulse pin has just entered into contact with the notch of the
lever. The safety roller is revolving with the balance staff and the action of the
impulse pin causes the lever also to turn about the pallet staff. The guard pin will be
brought over towards the centre line of the escapement and it will intersect the
circumference of the safety roller at the point F, the guard pin intersection – Figure
31.
During the fork and roller action, the roller will turn through the engaging arc of the
balance (34⁰) and the lever will turn through the total angular travel from one
banking pin to the other banking pin (11⁰). For every degree of motion of the lever,
the roller will therefore have to revolve through an angle approximately equal to the
engaging arc of the balance divided by the total angular travel of the lever. In this
case, with an engaging arc of 34⁰ and the lever moving through 11⁰, the roller will
have to revolve through 34
/11 x 1 after the impulse pin has picked up the notch, in
order to bring the guard pin over to the guard pin intersection (point F)
To determine the point at which the minimum passing hollow must begin we
should:
1. Draw a line SF, joining the guard pin intersection to the balance staff – Figure 31.
2. Draw a line from S, at an angle of 34
/11 degrees in a clockwise direction to SF. The
point at which this line intersects the safety roller is the point at which the
minimum passing hollow must begin. Letter this point V –Figure 31. An
alternative approach is given in Figure 32.
As the action of the escapement must be symmetrical, the other side of the passing
hollow must lie anti-clockwise of SA by a similar amount.
3. Using the point at which SA intersects the safety roller as a centre, draw an arc
through V to intersect the safety roller on the other side of line SA. The point of
intersection of this arc with the safety roller defines the opposite end of the
minimum passing hollow. Letter this point Z – Figure 31.
The depth of the minimum passing hollow can be determined
The guard pin will have entered most deeply into engagement with the safety roller
when the centre of the impulse pin is on the centre line PS of the escapement. The
tip of the guard pin will be at its deepest at the point where the path of the tip
intersects the line of centres PS – point B.
4. Draw an arc using centre P through the tip of the guard pin to intersect with the
line of centres PS. Letter this point B – Figure 31.
5. Draw an arc using centre S, with radius SB; the point at which this arc intersects
the line SA defines the depth of the minimum passing hollow – Figure 31.
6. The minimum passing crescent can be drawn using a simple construction – detail
drawing view – Figure 31.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
P a g e | 4 2 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
Figure 31 - drawing the minimum passing hollow
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 4 3
An alternative approach for drawing the line SV
The angle
can be constructed from the drawing and the angle then transferred
to the line SF to give the point V.
Figure 32 - an alternative approach
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
P a g e | 4 4 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
In practice, it is necessary to provide clearance between the tip of the guard pin and
the passing crescent. This is defined in terms of an angular clearance beyond the
minimum passing hollow on either side; a clearance of 5⁰ will be suitable. The
passing crescent must be deeper than the minimum; a clearance of 0.1 mm at the
centre of the passing hollow will be suitable.
1. Draw a line from S at an angle of 5⁰ clockwise of SV. The point at which this line
intersects the safety roller defines the start of the practical passing hollow –
Figure 33.
2. Draw the line SZ – Figure 33.
3. Draw a line from S at an angle of 5⁰ anticlockwise of SZ. The point at which this
line intersects the safety roller defines the end of the practical passing hollow –
Figure 33.
4. Draw an arc using centre S with a radius SB minus 0.1 mm linear clearance
allowance. The point at which this arc intersects SA defines the depth of the
practical passing hollow – Figure 33.
5. Use the construction given in the detail drawing in Figure 31 to draw a circular
arc through the three points defining the two ends and the depth of the
practical passing hollow, to give its true shape. The centre of this arc must lie on
the line SA – Figure 33.
Figure 33 - drawing the practical passing hollow
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 4 5
5.4 The geometry of the horns
Continuing from the drawing of the notch, guard pin and practical passing hollow,
we must consider the horns.
It is logical to consider the horns from the instant at which safety, as provided by the
guard pin and safety roller, has ceased to be effective, and this happens when the
guard pin enters the practical passing hollow at its end nearer to the line of centres
of the escapement, at the instant it reaches the guard pin intersection. The position
of the impulse pin at this instant should, therefore, be determined.
Let it be supposed that the roller, and with it the impulse pin, has revolved in a
clockwise direction until the corner of the practical passing hollow nearer to the line
of centres has been brought to the guard pin intersection.
1. Draw in the passing hollow and the impulse pin in this position. (Shown with
dashed lines in Figure 34).
The clearance of the tip of the horns must exceed the guard pin clearance and yet
still be less than the total lock, otherwise, if the watch had received a shock just
before the impulse pin reached the horn, butting might occur if the shock was of
such magnitude as to hold the guard pin in contact with the safety roller at this
instant. Since total lock, in this case, is 2⁰ and guard pin clearance is 1⁰, horn
clearance of 1½⁰ would be appropriate. This angle is measured from the pallet staff;
for convenience it may be taken to the centre of the face of the impulse pin, since
the exact length of the horns is not critical, provided they fairly intersect the impulse
pin at the instant when safety, as provided by the guard pin and safety roller ceases
to be effective.
2. From P draw a line to the centre of the face of the impulse pin in its advanced
position. Letter this point U – Figure 34.
3. From P, draw a line 1½⁰ anti-clockwise of PU to represent horn clearance. (Away
from the line of centres PS) – Figure 34.
4. Draw an arc using centre P, with radius PU. The point at which this arc intersects
the line just drawn will define the tip of the horn. Letter this point X – Figure 34.
ARC OF HORN FACE
The arc representing the horn face must now be
drawn. The tip of the horn and its
point of junction with the lever notch have already been determined. A satisfactory
method is to take the maximum radius of the impulse pin, as measured from the
balance staff; there can then be no risk whatever of the horn fouling the impulse pin.
An arc with this radius must evidently be drawn from a centre displaced from the
balance staff so that it may pass through the tip of the horn and its junction with the
notch.
5. Using centre S, draw an arc through the extremities of the impulse pin – Figure 34.
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g t h e C l u b T o o t h e d L e v e r E s c a p e m e n t – P a r t 2
P a g e | 4 6 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
6. Find the centre of the arc between the tip of the horn, X, and the point where the
horn meets the notch, J. Using radius equal to the maximum radius of the
impulse pin, draw two small arcs, one from the tip of the horn and the other from
the point where the horn meets the notch. Letter the point where these arcs
intersect H – Figure 34.
7. Using Centre H, draw an arc
intersecting the tip of the horn and its junction with
the notch of the lever – Figure 34.
8. Draw the second horn symmetrical to the first horn through the point where the
other side of the notch meets the horn – Figure 34.
9. Use the dimensions in Figure 34 to complete the horns.
Figure 34 - drawing the horns
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g E s c a p e m e n t s – S p e c i m e n P a p e r s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 4 7
Drawing Escapements – Specimen Papers
6 Specimen Papers
1.1 Introduction - the examination
A reminder, the examination for the unit ‘D6 : Drawing Clock / Watch Escapements’
comprises two parts:
1 There is a three hour invigilated drawing examination; a pictorial drawing
showing an escapement or part of an escapement is provided. You are
required to draw the required elevations using the appropriate geometrical
construction for the escapement or part of an escapement. There is a
separate ‘clock’ and ‘watch’ examination paper.
During the examination, you may refer to the details of the geometric
constructions given in this booklet.
The drawing may be produced manually (A2 paper) or using CAD. If CAD is
used, hard copy is required (A4 / A3 paper) together with a CD-rom with the
file saved hourly and at the end of the examination.
2 You are required to complete a drawing for assessment. The details for this
drawing are determined by the Examinations Board and circulated to
candidates after the closing date for examination entries. There may be a
separate ‘clock’ and ‘watch’ drawing.
This drawing may be produced manually (A2 paper) or using CAD. If CAD is
used, hard copy is required (A4 / A3 paper). You are permitted to refer to the
geometric constructions given in this booklet.
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 4 8 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g E s c a p e m e n t s – S p e c i m e n P a p e r s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 4 9
D6 : Drawing Clock / Watch Escapements
Specimen ‘Clock’ Paper
Time allowed : 3 HOURS
Important notes - please read carefully
The drawing shows the components of a ‘Recoil Escape Wheel and Pallet Assembly’ in an
‘exploded’ view; the parts are to be assembled in your drawing.
Any dimensions or details not present are to be determined by the candidate.
Instructions:
Draw in orthographic projection to BS 8888 (as detailed in PP8888), to a scale three times full size, two views of the ‘Recoil Escape Wheel and Pallet Assembly’ shown in the accompanying pictorial drawing (candidates using CAD and printing on A3 paper are to use a scale of two times full size).
1. A front elevation as viewed in the direction of the arrow A. The pallets are to be constructed using the geometric construction in the booklet ‘Drawing Clock and Watch Escapements’; you may refer to the booklet during the examination. Show construction lines and the specified letters for the points used in the construction
2. A sectional side elevation in the direction of the arrow B. The cutting plane is to be drawn vertically through the centre line of the pallet arbor and the escape wheel arbor. No hidden detail is required on this elevation.
The escape wheel and the pallets are riveted to collets which are soft soldered to the arbor. The crutch is riveted to the pallet arbor. Candidates are not required to show these constructional details in the drawing. Candidates using a pencil and drawing instruments are only required to draw the upper half of the wheel.
Add a title block and ten dimensions.
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 5 0 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g E s c a p e m e n t s – S p e c i m e n P a p e r s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 5 1
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 5 2 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g E s c a p e m e n t s – S p e c i m e n P a p e r s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 5 3
D6 : Drawing Clock / Watch Escapements
Specimen ‘Watch’ Paper
Time allowed : 3 HOURS
Important notes - please read carefully
The drawing shows the components of a ‘Roller and Balance Staff Assembly’ in an ‘exploded’
view; the parts are to be assembled in your drawing.
Any dimensions or details not present are to be determined by the candidate.
Instructions:
Draw in orthographic projection to BS 8888 (as detailed in PP8888), to a scale forty times full size, (candidates using CAD and printing on A3 paper are to use a scale of twenty five times full size) two views of the ‘Roller and Balance Staff Assembly’ shown in the accompanying pictorial drawing. The roller is a friction fit on the balance staff.
1. A front elevation as viewed in the direction of the arrow A. The roller is to be constructed using the geometric construction in the booklet ‘Drawing Clock and Watch Escapements’; you may refer to the booklet during the examination. Show construction lines and the specified letters for the points used for the construction. Only the ‘notch end’ of the pallets should be drawn.
2. A sectional side elevation in the direction of the arrow B. The cutting plane is to be drawn vertically through the centre line of the balance staff. The pallets and hidden detail are not required on this elevation.
Add a title block and ten dimensions.
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 5 4 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g E s c a p e m e n t s – S p e c i m e n P a p e r s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 5 5
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 5 6 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g E s c a p e m e n t s – S p e c i m e n P a p e r s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 5 7
Specimen Papers – Model Answers
7 Model answers
A model answer is provided on the following pages for both the ‘clock’ and the
‘watch’ specimen papers. They are intended to provide overall guidance for the
candidate; the size of the model answer drawing prevents every detail being clearly
visible.
The scale given in the title block relates to the size originally drawn; the drawings
have been reduced for the purposes of the booklet.
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 5 8 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g E s c a p e m e n t s – S p e c i m e n P a p e r s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 5 9
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 6 0 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )
British Horological Institute D r a w i n g E s c a p e m e n t s – S p e c i m e n P a p e r s
D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 ) P a g e | 6 1
British Horological Institute
P a g e | 6 2 D r a w i n g C l o c k a n d W a t c h E s c a p e m e n t s ( V e r s i o n 1 . 4 )